


leave me to dream

by kimwonpil



Category: Day6 (Band)
Genre: (dowoon is mentioned like once i'm sorry woonie dkjfghk), Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Alternate Universe - Mythology, Alternate Universe - Urban Fantasy, Angst, Angst with a Happy Ending, Centaurs, Domestic Fluff, Fluff and Angst, Harpies, Hurt/Comfort, M/M, Mute Wonpil, Mythology References, Slow Burn, Warlocks, Wendigo
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-04-27
Updated: 2020-04-27
Packaged: 2021-03-01 17:53:41
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,781
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23881114
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/kimwonpil/pseuds/kimwonpil
Summary: the exchange project was an institute of society, a name everyone knew. they brought the mythological creatures that lived beyond the shadowy fog of the forests, into the world of humans and civilisation. in their own land, there was war, raging and bloody, but the project gave them the chance to escape, to live.wonpil was a harpy, beauty unmatched and silence ever present. jae and sungjin could only pray that the next three months went by without a hitch, wonpil's very existence depended on it.
Relationships: Kang Younghyun | Young K & Kim Wonpil, Kim Wonpil/Park Jaehyung | Jae, Kim Wonpil/Park Jaehyung | Jae/Park Sungjin, Kim Wonpil/Park Sungjin, Park Jaehyung | Jae/Park Sungjin
Comments: 9
Kudos: 32





	leave me to dream

**Author's Note:**

  * Inspired by [Body Language](https://archiveofourown.org/works/14626101) by [WaterHorseyBlues](https://archiveofourown.org/users/WaterHorseyBlues/pseuds/WaterHorseyBlues). 



> hi there! lix is checking in with another wonpil-centric fic, it is his birthday tho so i guess i get a free pass.
> 
> this is something i've been planning for so so so long, too long probably and now i am releasing it into the world. it is already finished so i'm planning to have a regular upload schedule this time;;; sungjaepil are way too underrated and there's not enough fantasy/mythology fics to keep me satisfied on here anymore.
> 
> i really hope you all enjoy reading, i also hope that you're all staying safe and healthy!! have a great week ^-^
> 
> (and happy birthday piri, you're such a sunshine and you make so many people's lives, including mine, that much better everyday. thank you for always being yourself and making the prettiest music <3)
> 
> \- title is from dream by imagine dragons -

The exchange project had begun years before Sungjin and Jaehyung had ever thought of signing up, years before the pair had even met. Their world had been flooded with mythical creatures for decades now, those who were peaceful and could integrate were allowed to stay and those who could not were still kept behind the foggy walls of the forests that sprawled across the earth. But the project had been set up to try and bring the supposedly dangerous creatures back into society, to let them live a life just like anyone else rather than being held captive in the wilderness. 

When Jaehyung had put down the sign up sheet on the dining room table one fateful afternoon, Sungjin had instantly disagreed.

”Nope, no, not happening, I don't care if you're looking at me with those puppy eyes Park Jaehyung we are not doing it.” Had been his exact words.

It was exactly twenty-two seconds later that he ended up saying yes.

So here they were, sign-up sheet filled out, posted and approved by whoever ran the scheme, an email quickly sent back to them telling the pair about the appointment time and what to do the next week. Sungjin noted that there wasn't any information on the creature they would be looking after, no name, no indication of species, not even their age. It filled the younger man up with worry, but Jaehyung seemed too caught up in his excitement to notice his boyfriend's nervousness, even as he stayed silent the entire car ride to the exchange headquarters.

“What if we're making a mistake?” Sungjin breathed out as they parked up, fingers tapping against his knee, drumming out a rhythmic beat in an attempt to calm himself.

“We're not making a mistake Jinnie, this will be the best three months of our lives, I'm sure of it. The exchange program helped you didn't it? Maybe whoever we look after will be helped as well?” Jaehyung was right, Jaehyung was almost always right, Sungjin noted. When Sungjin was only four years old, an elderly couple had signed up for the exact same program and it ended with him, a young nature warlock, being adopted and raised in the human world. Before that, Sungjin had only known bitter war and coldness, bone rattling coldness that left him hollow and scared.

“Yeah, I hope so. But you've heard about the horror stories right? Like our neighbor, Jinyoung, he brought home a lycan Jae, a _lycan_ , I'm so glad we didn't live there when that happened.”

“What's so bad about lycans aren't they just giant puppy-werewolf-things?”

“That's exactly what they are and they shed fur everywhere, over everything and they're loud and destroy furniture… Oh god I forgot to put away our valuable stuff Jae what if they break something?” By now, Sungjin was well and truly panicking, Jaehyung rushing to pull his arms around the younger and bringing him into a hug. Normally, physical contact was a boundary rarely crossed unless it was on Sungjin's terms, but Jaehyung decided to forgo the rules this time around.

By the time that Sungjin's breathing had returned to normal, Jaehyung realised that it was time to go inside for their appointment, patting Sungjin's back in an attempt to get him moving. The younger was hesitant at first but eventually pulled on his cap and climbed out of the car into the late spring sunshine.

It was the time of year that the sun seemed to frame everything in gold, the world much brighter and vibrant as the seasons changed over from spring to summer. Jaehyung would love to appreciate it better, was he not so pale and deathly afraid of being burnt to a crisp. Sometimes Sungjin joked that he could be descended from vampires and sometimes Jaehyung was inclined to believe him.

The pair soon arrived at the front desk of the exchange headquarters, the building was quite grand, having become well established in the vast metropolis Jaehyung and Sungjin called home. There was a lady, probably no older than the pair of them, sitting behind the desk, swivelling around between three computer screens and talking animatedly into her headset.

Jaehyung cleared his throat, catching her attention as she peered up at them with interest, obviously wanting them to tell her why they were here.

“My name's Park Jaehyung, we have an appointment here at eleven.” He explained, the lady nodding and looking at the middle monitor and tapping on it with a small "a-ha" at the sight of Jaehyung's name.

“Yes, you're here, if you go up the stairs to the first floor, the appointment will take place in room three.” The woman smiled and quickly got back to whatever business she was attending to, Jaehyung taking this as their cue to leave and moving towards the stairwell, a very quiet Sungjin in tow.

Jaehyung knew that his boyfriend was stewing over his worries, but he also knew that trying to help him sort them out right now would be a bad idea. It would be much better to simply throw open the door, meet whoever they would be looking after and then taking them home.

On the sign up form there had been certain preferences that one could request, Sungjin had suggested asking for a creature without fur, after Jinyoung's horror story Jaehyung could understand why. But other than that they were open to anything, so Jaehyung really had no clue as to what - or rather who - was going to be waiting for them both.

Room three was easy to locate, even with Jaehyung rushing around with a sort of childlike excitement. Sungjin was still silent, still contemplating whether to just abandon ship and call the whole thing off. However, he didn't really get a choice as Jaehyung knocked on the door thrice and was asked to come in.

The inside of the room was rather dull, a large window spanning the entire back wall being the only thing of interest, looking down onto the bustling high-street below. There was a desk and four chairs in the room, as well as some personal items for whoever occupied it, but everything was some shade of off-white that reminded Sungjin far too much of the hospital and he shook his head in distaste. Two of the chairs were already taken, one by a man in a crisp looking suit and the other by, well, the creature they would be looking after.

“Hello there, you must be Park Jaehyung and Park Sungjin, please, have a seat.” The voice that greeted them was warm, the man in the suit ushering them to sit down with a homely smile set into his features that made the pair feel at ease. Both of them were anticipating what was going to happen next, Sungjin mostly out of fear but Jaehyung was excited, raring to go and accept whatever was thrown at him.

“So, this here is your creature. He’s, from what we can tell, some sort of bird hybrid, very tame and timid, doesn’t talk at all. We would normally give you much more information than this but apart from his medical records there is nothing else we can say, I apologise for this.” The man was leaning forward, as if excluding the boy next to him from the conversation altogether. Something about that didn’t sit right with either of them, Sungjin frowning uncomfortably at the lack of care evident in the man’s tone.

“You don’t have to apologise.” Jaehyung said after a beat of silence, “We’re alright with just getting to know each other as we go, it’s less stressful for everyone that way.” He hummed and nodded, regarding the boy across from them as he spoke and not sparing a single glance at the suited man.

“Oh- Well, I suppose I’ll let you go then. Here’s the medical records and his personal belongings, I’ll see you in three months gentlemen.” The man frowned and sat back, the boy across from Jaehyung and Sungjin standing up a second later, arms carefully tucked behind his back but even that couldn’t conceal the array of feathers that they could both already see.

He was indeed some sort of bird hybrid, Sungjin thought to himself as they left the room, the boy walking a step or two behind them and not making a move to get any closer. His hair was littered with smaller feathers, entwining the black strands with shimmers of hazel and chestnut as it fell into unruly curls atop his head. The clothes he was dressed in were the same as probably every other creature here, a white t-shirt and a pair of stiff jeans that were much too large for his small frame.

And then there was the wings.

They were long, reaching the floor almost where the feathers extended from his wrist. The feathers snaked along the lengths of his arms, the same colour as those on top of his head but with gleaming ivory shades smattered in; Sungjin wondered how he had managed to keep them so well kept and cleaned and full of life, when the rest of him had worn thin and frail. He was nothing like what Sungjin had been when he had left these very doors all those years ago, Sungjin had obviously come from a much better background in creature terms. Even though he only remembered the bad times, the cold and the bloodshed, he still had a warm fire to huddle around at night, he wondered if the boy had even been given that.

Jaehyung opened the car doors, the lights blinking and that was the first time the boy made a sound, letting out a tiny shriek of surprise as he stumbled back and raised his hands to his face in a move of defense. 

“Hey, buddy, it’s okay. It’s just the car lights, nothing is going to hurt you, I promise.” Jaehyung spoke in a careful tone, opening the back seat door and showing him where to go. The boy followed after a moment, steps small and hesitant as he clambered into the seat and pulled on the belt when Jaehyung showed him what to do. Sungjin watched the interaction curiously, getting into the passenger side but not taking his eyes off the boy in the back of their car as he at long last decided to address him.

“So, you uhm… You don’t have a name on your records here. Were you ever given one? Oh! And, I’m Sungjin and this is Jaehyung by the way, if you didn’t catch that before.” The warlock knew he was rambling, if the way Jaehyung was grinning at him was anything to go by.

The boy in the backseat nodded his head, Sungjin's mouth forming an 'oh' shape as he wondered if he would divulge them with the information. But instead of speaking, the boy stayed silent, setting on tracing against the stitches of the leather seat and looking intently at Sungjin as if his eyes held some mighty secret of the universe. Sungjin was sure that his eyes didn't hold such information and decided to turn back around again to turn on some music. 

It was awkward as the trio went back home, Jaehyung was sure that whatever was up in the heavens was laughing down at them that day, watching their misfortune as he and his boyfriend tried to think of something to say. By the time they pulled up outside of their front door, Sungjin was clearly getting antsy, he had expected the complete opposite of what he had received after all. The warlock was expecting someone loud, like Jinyoung's lycan had been, not a quiet boy with wings that seemed to curl around him like a protective shell, shielding him from the pair who were taking him in.

“This is our home, I suspect you'll be here for most of the three months. You only have to leave if you feel comfortable enough to do so.” Jaehyung explained, deciding to take over the talking role for now as to calm down Sungjin's obvious nerves. The boy behind him only nodded and undid his seatbelt after Jaehyung had shown him the button to press. It seemed as if he had never done much in the way of “human” things before and was not well versed in what to do in many situations.

The trio all left the car at varying degrees of excitement, Jaehyung was trying to hold back for Sungjin's sake, since he could tell his boyfriend was dreading this. But the elder was simply looking forward to getting to know the quiet creature; Jaehyung's friend list was short, adding another person wouldn't hurt at all.

Following behind the elder pair, the boy kept his eyes firmly trained on the ground, his slip on shoes already starting to fall off as he stumbled over. He wondered why exactly Jaehyung and Sungjin were being so nice to him? The handlers in the exchange centre had not been the kindest to him when he hadn't spoken for several days, but he had simply never felt safe enough to do so.

Jaehyung opened the door with an air of dramatics, flourishing his hands which elicited a giggle from Sungjin. The eldest considered this a win and fist pumped the air with a small “whoop” and yet more laughter spilled from his boyfriend. He was sure that he saw their guest smiling also, but didn't want to jinx anything.

“So you can leave your shoes and coat here… When you get a coat that is. And then through here is the kitchen and living room, it's all open plan for the most part.” Jaehyung explained and took off his own sneakers, making a quick mental note that he needed to take the boy shopping, he was pretty sure that there were no more clothes in his tiny backpack.

When the trio wandered into the main living area, Jaehyung and Sungjin certainly weren't expecting their guest to rush in front of them and crash onto the sofa with a content hum. Well, at least he did make noises, Jaehyung thought.

“Oh uhm, yeah, that's a sofa.” Sungjin voiced obviously and let out an awkward chuckle, deciding to sit opposite the boy and get out his medical records. Almost everything was completely blank except for his blood type, height, weight and a few doctor's comments.

_He doesn't speak to any of the handlers nor the medical officials, he does mutter in his sleep but all of this is unintelligible. I am unsure of whether he understands much._

_The creature was probably not given much to eat, he rarely finishes the small meal portions given to him._

_We attempted to get the creature to write today, he appeared as if he would but there was then a loud noise and he withdrew back again and refused to try once more._

Sungjin set down the records and regarded the boy in front of him curiously, excusing himself to go and get a notepad and pen, wandering back to the living room and sitting in front of the creature. He stared right back at the warlock, tilting his head to the side like a confused puppy until Sungjin put the notepad and pen in front of him.

“Do you think you could write your name? It would be a lot easier for us to live altogether if we knew.” He explained, voice barely above a whisper. Jaehyung once again realised that his boyfriend was very much the best man for handling situations like this, having been in this position himself two decades ago. He may have put up a nervous front, but, behind all of that, Sungjin knew exactly what he was doing.

The boy sat up and nodded, Sungjin smiling and inwardly sighing in relief, he definitely understood them then. Sungjin watched as the creature took the pen and gripped it wonkily, eyebrows furrowing in a display of concentration as he put the pen to paper.

_Wonpil._

“Your name is Wonpil? That's a nice name.” Sungjin said with a toothy grin, this time Wonpil did mirror his expression, his own face lighting up as he smiled too.

Jaehyung and Sungjin's brain short circuited at that, Wonpil's smile was definitely too adorable for his own good. There was an innocent quality to it, something that made Sungjin's heart hurt. Even despite all that Wonpil could have possibly gone through, he still smiled like this.

“Can you write anything else about yourself Wonpil?” Sungjin asked and received a firm shake of the head in return, Wonpil's hands fiddling with the pen helplessly and the warlock understood that. He hadn't been taught to write anything else. “That's alright, one of us can teach you how to later on if you wish. I think we should show you your room now though.” Sungjin smiled and got to his feet, Jaehyung and Wonpil standing up in unison like a pair of meerkats.

Going up the stairs was an event and a half, Wonpil stopping every few steps to admire and peer at the photos that hung on the wall, giggling quietly at one Sungjin had taken of Jaehyung with their mutual friend Younghyun when they were drunk off their asses after university graduation.

When they finally arrived at the spare bedroom, Sungjin soon realised that maybe he should have cleaned up just a little bit more. Wonpil was left trying to manoeuvre around Sungjin’s extensive potted plant collection with his wings tucked back as far as they would go; it was quite a sight for Jaehyung, who was struggling to hold back his laughter. The warlock took a few of the plants out into the hallway, making sure that the cacti, in particular, were not going to hurt Wonpil or scratch at his feathers.

The boy wandered around for a moment before going to the bed and sitting down, small hand brushing against the soft linen that Sungjin had washed this morning. Wonpil gave the pair in front of him a thumbs up and another bright smile that seemed to outshine the sun in every possible way. Jaehyung returned the gesture with just as much enthusiasm, but was suddenly startled when the almost silence was broken by Wonpil’s stomach grumbling and the boy clutching at his stomach with flushed cheeks.

“I think that means it’s lunchtime Jinnie.” Jaehyung grinned and wriggled his eyebrows, knowing that Sungjin didn’t trust him in the kitchen after he’d almost burnt it down trying to toast a bagel last year. Ever since then, mealtimes had been solely Sungjin’s job, Jaehyung resigned to sitting in the living room and waiting for his food like an impatient kid. Sungjin could only sigh in response to his boyfriend, kissing Jaehyung’s cheek and wandering back off downstairs. This left Jaehyung alone with a curious-eyed Wonpil who was regarding him with a sort of wonderment and poking at his own cheek as if trying to understand the affectionate gesture.

“Oh, me and Sungjin are boyfriends, we’ve been together for almost four years now but have lived together and known each other for a lot longer.” Jaehyung explained and moved to sit down on Wonpil’s bed as the boy nodded and moved to grab his backpack before opening it. Jaehyung would be lying if he said he wasn’t curious as to the contents of the bag, but he hadn’t wanted to pry earlier when Wonpil had been much more reserved and unresponsive.

Wonpil pulled out three items and then set the now empty backpack aside. The first thing was a handkerchief of some kind, small and embroidered with starry patterns, a deep blue dye colouring it. The boy set about placing it on the bedside table and flattening it out until he was satisfied before regarding the other two items. A ring and a folded piece of paper. Wonpil carefully slid the ring onto his finger, thumbing over the emerald gem in the centre before placing the piece of paper onto Jaehyung’s lap and looking up at him expectantly.

The eldest fumbled for a moment, hands fiddling as he unfolded the sheet and began to read the cursive print that was so unlike Wonpil’s messy scrawl from earlier.

_Hello, my name is Aegeus, one of the greek protectors and a shield for the harpy kind. Wonpil has been placed in your care and is the last of his ancestors line, the Hesiod harpies. Such creatures were once great mythical beasts of pure beauty, Wonpil is now the only one left. He is very timid and will take some time to warm up to you, please be reassured that he is quite a pleasant person and a joy to take care of._

The short letter ended there and Jaehyung looked over at Wonpil in bewilderment, he knew that the boy in front of him was certainly not a simple bird hybrid as the handlers had been led to believe, that much was obvious to him. But the letter made him out to be far more important than even Jaehyung had thought, if anything, the eldest was now slightly intimidated. Wonpil slowly pointed at the letter and then to himself, followed by a shrug. Jaehyung watched him for a moment before breathing out a tiny ‘oh’ and reading the letter aloud to the harpy.

Wonpil seemed to take all the information in his stride, smile once again brightening his face at the mention of Aegeus, who the boy was seemingly close to. Jaehyung couldn’t fathom the thought of creatures being close to anyone in the forests, for he had heard many tales of the great wars that took place there, how anyone could turn on you and stab you in the back, even after centuries of loyalty.

“So, now that we know all that stuff, do you think you could tell me how old you are Wonpil? I’m twenty-seven, but I’m turning twenty-eight this year.” Jaehyung said simply, holding up two fingers first and then seven, hoping that Wonpil would understand the numbering system rather than have it confuse him further. Thankfully, Wonpil quickly replied, holding up two of his own fingers and then another six.

“Twenty-six, cool! Sungjin is twenty-seven as well so it seems you're the baby of the family now.” Jaehyung chuckled at his own comment, eliciting a quiet giggle from Wonpil in return and the eldest found himself blinking rapidly. Oh no, that was cute, he thought as he pushed his glasses back up the bridge of his nose.

And maybe, just maybe, Jaehyung’s heart skipped a beat. But he would never, ever, confirm nor deny that fact.

**Author's Note:**

> here's my twitter :D : [@acepiri](https://twitter.com/acepiri)  
> 


End file.
